In which Sasuke pouts, Naruto hears stories, and Utakata learns how to be a teacher.
O-O-O-O-O
Ever since they let out for summer break, Sasuke had been bored out of his mind.
During the summer, the children from clans usually trained and sparred with the other members of their family. Meanwhile, civilian children used their time away from school to relax at home and play games.
Sasuke, however, had nothing to do. His father and brother were too busy with their work to spend more than a few minutes with him. His mother, while she tried her best, had barely more free time to spend with him.
He tried to remember what he used to do before starting school, but his mind drew a blank. None of his toys looked interesting anymore and the only things that kept him entertained at all were books. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed Naruto.
"Mom, I'm bored," Sasuke whined to his mother.
She was pouring over some documents related to the clan finances. The numbers were long and the table made no sense to him. Apparently, they made little sense to his father too, which was why his mother took care of their money.
His mother looked up, peering at him over the table. "What do you want me to do, Sasuke?" she asked with a kind smile. "I'm a little busy right now. I can teach you a new technique after lunch."
"Lunch?" Sasuke asked, dismayed. It was only nine in the morning. He wasn't sure he could survive until then.
She sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly. "Why don't you go look for your friends?" she asked. "I'm sure they would appreciate your company."
"I don't know where any of them live," he admitted.
On the last day of school, a few of his classmates, mostly girls, had asked for his address. He had refused. He was not going to share that information with just anyone.
Later, during their afterschool training, he had considered asking for Naruto's contact information. However, at the end of their sparring, they had said goodbye like they always did: with insults and name-calling. Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he regretted not sharing his address with Naruto.
"Why don't you go look for them?" his mother asked, writing something on the margins of the paper. "It's a long shot, but it's a part of being a ninja."
"Part of being a ninja?" he asked. "I don't get it."
"When you're a fully-fledged shinobi, you will have missions to find specific targets," she explained, her eyes focused on her work. "Think of this as your first mission: find your friends and play with them."
"A mission?" Sasuke felt excitement coursing throughout his body. My first mission!
His mother nodded, giving him a gentle smile. "As long as you're back before noon," she added. "I don't want to have to go on my own mission, especially if I'm not paid for it. You can bring your friends back here for lunch if you want."
Sasuke nodded enthusiastically. He had no idea where Naruto lived, but he was sure that he could figure it out. "Okay, Mom," he said. "I'll be back soon."
"You best," she said, waving him away. She wrote something else on the margin.
Sasuke didn't wait as he ran out of the Uchiha compound and headed to the main village center.
O-O-O-O-O
Naruto missed the Academy. Without the distraction of school, his days were long and boring. He spent most of the day inside, watering plants and reading books. He tried training by himself, but alone, it wasn't fun.
On the last day, he had asked Hinata for her address and he had shared his. However, the information was useless. She would spend the entire summer holiday training with her clan and Naruto couldn't join in.
He had smiled and nodded, pretending it was fine, but he missed her company. He hoped her summer training would make the separation worth it when she came back, stronger than before.
He missed Sasuke too, although he almost didn't want to admit it. There were only so many times he could hit a wooden post before he hoped for it to hit back. He wished he had asked Sasuke for his contact information before they parted ways on the last day of school. However, he had forgotten and by the time he remembered, it had been too late.
Bored indoors, he decided to go outside and wander the streets and forests of Konoha. Part of himself hoped to run into Sasuke, or even Shikamaru or Chouji.
With that hope in mind, he wandered through the village, trying to ignore all the dirty looks people threw at him. He had thought about retaliating, but the other jinchuuriki had told him that it was pointless. Utakata was especially firm about the idea that ignoring them would be the best course of action.
"There is no way for you to win, Naruto," Utakata had said, looking abnormally serious. "If you try to take revenge, they will only see you as a troublemaker. And if you try to be nice, they will step on your kindness and break it. The best thing to do is pretend it doesn't hurt."
With Utakata's words in mind, Naruto searched for his friends and classmates. He pretended he couldn't see the dirty looks or hear the ugly things they said about him.
It was when he was near the village center, close to the Hokage's office and the Academy, that he saw Sasuke. The other boy was wandering through the main street, looking around. What the heck is he doing?
"Sasuke!" he yelled, running toward him.
Sasuke turned around. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Naruto before turning into a neutral expression.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he approached the other boy.
"What do you want, loser?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, placing his hands inside his pockets.
Naruto shook a fist. "Just saying hello, ya know! Don't need to be so rude!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, hello. Is that all you wanted?"
Naruto sighed. Well, I tried. "Geez, I'm just trying to be polite."
Sasuke looked away before answering. "I know. Sorry."
Naruto shifted his feet. It was the first time Sasuke had ever apologized without someone bigger making him. It was a strange experience.
"What have you been doing during the summer holiday?" Naruto asked, trying to change the topic. Sasuke is being weird.
"Not much," Sasuke answered. "Some training. Shuriken and kunai practice. Normal stuff."
"Sparring?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
Sasuke shifted his feet. "Not really," he admitted. "My family is too busy. And they always go easy on me, anyway."
Naruto felt his heart beat faster with excitement and he moved closer. Sasuke took a step back but didn't run away.
"Do you want to spar?" Naruto asked, his enthusiasm making him shake. "I have time right now, ya know!"
Sasuke swallowed, a frown on his face. "My mother told me to come back before noon," he said.
"Oh." Naruto sighed, defeated. Just when I thought we could hang out for a bit.
"But... she said I could invite anyone if I met them while I was in the village," Sasuke continued.
Naruto looked up at Sasuke, a grin on his face. "Wait, really? I can go?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, she already said it's fine. We have better training facilities in the Uchiha compound anyway. Better than the school one at least."
"Great!" Naruto said, beaming at Sasuke. "Which way?"
"That way." Sasuke began walking down a street in the direction to the outskirts of the village. Naruto followed eagerly at his side.
"So you have good training areas where you live?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke hummed in assent. "Our property is big and our clan compound is on the outskirts of the village, so there are a lot of places to practice. The grounds in front of my house have a large garden with training posts too."
"That's cool!" Naruto said. "I tried going to the training grounds, but there are a lot more people who use them during the holiday, ya know."
"Yeah, that's one of the good things about living in a clan compound," Sasuke admitted.
"You're lucky!" Naruto chuckled. "My apartment is too small to throw shuriken around."
Sasuke's lips quirked up in amusement.
For the rest of the way to the Uchiha clan compound, they talked about whatever came to mind. It was the first time Naruto had spent talking to Sasuke without weapons in the middle. After a few days of talking only to Teuchi and the other jinchuuriki, it was a breath of fresh air. He found their conversation was flowing as easily as it did when he was with Gaara, Fuu, and Hinata.
"We're here," Sasuke finally said.
Naruto looked up at the entrance in awe. The gate was large and ornate, one of the most intimidating things he had ever seen. From behind the gate, buildings were organized neatly alongside the main street. I knew clans lived in big places, but I didn't know it was like this.
Naruto swallowed nervously. He had never been anywhere nearly as ostentatious.
"A-are you sure it's okay if I go in?" Naruto asked, shifting his feet before he walked any closer.
Sasuke frowned and glared at him. "What do you mean?"
"It's just..." Naruto gulped. "Won't anyone, ya know, kick me out or something?"
"Kick you out?" Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Why would anyone kick you out?"
Because I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and almost everyone in the village hates me. However, Naruto couldn't say anything like that so he shrugged instead.
Sasuke snorted. "They won't say or do anything," he insisted. "You're with me."
"If you say so..." Naruto said. He took a step inside. He almost expected someone to swoop in and force him out, but nothing happened. He looked around, but no one appeared and the entrance remained.
"Are you sure-?" Naruto began to ask before Sasuke interrupted.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Sasuke snapped. "Stick close to me and no one will say anything. Not to your face at least."
Without waiting for Naruto, he started walking down the street, fast enough that he was almost running. Naruto huffed before following him. As expected, a few people turn to stared and whispered once they arrived at the populated parts of the compound. However, to Naruto's surprise, the people they passed seem more curious than anything.
Unlike their amiable journey from the village, Naruto walked behind Sasuke in silence. He stared around him, waiting for the moment when someone would drag him out, but that moment never came. What's with this clan?
"I'm home!" Sasuke called out once they reached a large manor tucked behind a row of trees.
Sasuke took his shoes off at the entrance before stepping inside. Naruto followed his lead, feeling completely out of place. This is the first time anyone's invited me to their home.
"Mom?" Sasuke called out as he walked down the hallway. Naruto followed behind him.
"In here!" a feminine voice called out. Sasuke headed toward the source of the voice, Naruto at his heels. They stepped into a very large, clean, and spacious kitchen. Mama would be jealous.
"Mom! I'm home!" Sasuke said again.
"Welcome home, Sasuke," she said, her back to them as she washed dishes. "Did you find any friends?"
For some reason Naruto couldn't understand, Sasuke's face turned a slight shade of pink.
"I brought someone with me," he said without answering her question.
"Someone? Who is it?"
"Naruto," he said.
At once, Sasuke's mother dropped the dishes and she spun around to look at Sasuke and Naruto. Her jaw dropped as she looked Naruto up and down. Naruto tried and failed not to fidget in place.
"O-oh, you brought Naruto-kun," she said. Naruto's heart beat faster inside his chest. Is she going to kick me out now?
"Yeah, I found him in the village center," Sasuke said, a small frown on his face. "He wanted to train, so I brought him over."
"Well, isn't that nice?" Sasuke's mother said, drying her hands on her apron. "I was just a little surprised that you brought Naruto. Considering how you're always talking about how you two are not friends."
"We're not friends!" Naruto and Sasuke insisted at the same time. They glared at each other.
Sasuke's mother laughed. "Well, if that's the case, what's the relationship between you two?" she asked. "If you're not friends, I suppose you're...?"
"Rivals!" They answered together. Once again, they glared at each other.
Sasuke's mother laughed again, harder than before. She shook her head with a smile. "Well, lunch won't be ready until later, Sasuke," she said. "You and Naruto-kun can play outside while I finish cleaning up and get the food ready. How does that sound?"
"We're not playing!" Sasuke said, sounding scandalized. "We're training."
Naruto nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"Oh, sorry, of course, training," she corrected herself. "Well, have fun in any case. I'll call you when lunch is ready."
With that, she turned back to the sink and continued to wash all the dirty dishes. Sasuke stared at Naruto, a smirk on his face.
"Are you ready to lose?" he asked.
Naruto snorted. "As if!" he answered. "I'll have you crying before lunch, ya know!"
Sasuke glowered before running out, Naruto following like a shadow. He heard a small snort from Sasuke's mother as they left the kitchen.
They ran back to the entrance and put on their shoes before running to a training area.
It was smaller than the one that they use at the Academy, but much better maintained. The posts and targets had fresh coats of paint and lacquer. The ground was even and compacted. The shade from the nearby trees kept the brunt of the sun off their backs.
"This is a nice training area," Naruto said in admiration.
Sasuke stared at him with a frown before nodding once he saw that Naruto was being honest. "My mother makes sure everything is in working order," he bragged.
"Good!" Naruto smirked before leaping forward to hit Sasuke in the jaw.
Sasuke saw the dirty attack coming, however, and Naruto only chanced a glancing blow on his chin. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise and their first spar began.
After days of being bored out of his mind at home, fighting with Sasuke was, in one word, amazing. His heart pounded in his chest while he felt the sweat pouring down his back and forehead. Sasuke was not doing much better, his hair starting to stick to the back of his neck.
To Naruto's eternal joy, he won the first match, catching Sasuke with a kick to the ribs before taking him down. Sasuke glared at him while he gloated, his knees keeping Sasuke's arms pinned down.
"Are you going to cry?" he asked, teasing but not mocking. Sasuke only frowned until Naruto let him go.
"You got lucky," Sasuke muttered.
They both took a moment to get their breathing back in order. When they did, their fights began again. They only stopped when the sun hit its peak.
"I won, ya know!" Naruto said, shaking a fist in Sasuke's direction. They were panting, trying to wipe the sweat from their faces as well as they could.
Sasuke scowled. "No, you didn't. I won eight times and you only won three times."
Naruto knew he was lying. He might have lost count, but he had definitely won more than three times.
"Liar!" he shouted, grabbing onto Sasuke by the collar. They wrestled, falling to the ground in an undignified heap. He tried to get Sasuke to give up and admit to lying when he heard a soft voice clearing her throat. Immediately, both Sasuke and Naruto let go, standing up and staring guiltily up at the source of the voice.
"Boys, it's time for lunch," Sasuke's mother said. To Naruto's relief, she looked more amused than concerned about them wrestling on the ground. He felt something strange fluttering inside his stomach. I wonder why she's so nice to me.
"Oh, okay," Naruto said, shaking as much dirt as he could off of himself. "Well, see you later then, Sasuke."
"See you-" Sasuke started to answer automatically before turning to him, eyes open in shock. "Wait, are you leaving now?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's lunchtime now, right?" Naruto started walking away to exit through the garden.
"Nothing!" Sasuke said. "It's just that... I thought..." He looked away, frowning for a reason Naruto couldn't begin to understand.
"Thought what?" Naruto shoved an elbow into Sasuke's ribs. Sasuke flinched but only stared back in sullen silence.
"Oh, Naruto-kun," Sasuke's mother said with a smile. "You're invited, too. Sasuke is just too shy to say anything."
"Mom!" Sasuke yelled, face flushed with a hint of pink.
Naruto wanted to snicker at the sight, but her words sent a wave of shock coursing through his body. He shifted uneasily and looked down at his feet. She's inviting me? Why? I thought everyone in the village hated me?
Sasuke's mother must have been able to sense his thoughts because she placed a hand on his head. He looked up at her shyly.
"Of course you're invited, Naruto-kun," she said. "I already set a meal out for you."
Naruto nodded, not sure how to react or what to say. He had thought no one would ever invite him to a meal in their home, let alone so kindly.
"Oh... uh... thank you," he muttered, too unsure of himself to meet her eyes. However, he knew that if Roshi or Yugito ever learned he wasn't thankful, he would be stuck learning how to play the shamisen until he died of old age.
They walked back to the house together. He didn't look at Sasuke as he took off his shoes once again and stepped back inside. When they arrived at the kitchen, Naruto almost expected the table to be empty as a cruel prank, but sure enough, three bowls were set out for them. Sasuke and his mother immediately sat down at the table, leaving an empty spot for Naruto.
Naruto joined them, wondering if they would rescind the offer of food at any moment. He looked at his meal: a simple bowl of rice with chicken and a few radish pickles on the side. He gulped before he looked up at Sasuke.
Sasuke was looking at him curiously, taking in his reaction to the entire situation. Naruto saw a hint of pity that only served to annoy him. He stuck his tongue out. Offended, Sasuke huffed and turned away. Naruto sighed in relief. Well, at least one thing is back to normal.
"I made some oyakodon, Naruto," Sasuke's mother said. "I hope you like it."
"Oh, thank you very much," Naruto replied, still feeling lost. "It... looks really good."
Sasuke's mother smiled before clapping her hands together. Naruto and Sasuke followed her lead.
"Thank you for the meal," Naruto said before he took a bite of the food.
His eyes widened at the taste. It was one of the most amazing things he had ever eaten, close to rivaling Ichiraku ramen. The flavors were perfectly balanced and the portions were just right. He took a new, bigger, bite.
"Do you like it?" she asked kindly.
Naruto had too much food in his mouth to respond with anything but a smile and a nod. He forced himself to swallow.
"It's really good," he said, grinning. "Sasuke is real lucky, ya know!"
She chuckled at the praise. "Well, you're right about at least one thing," she said with a teasing voice as she leaned over to ruffle Sasuke's hair.
"Mom!" Sasuke whined.
Naruto wanted to laugh, but as Roshi had told him many times, it was rude to talk with his mouth full. He shot Sasuke a teasing smirk instead. The table fell quiet as they ate, although it was a comfortable type of silence.
"How did you learn to cook, Uchiha-san?" Naruto asked eventually. He'd been following Roshi's instructions and he had yet to cook anything that was anywhere near as good.
"I honestly just learned from my mother," she said. "I followed her around and watched her."
Naruto nodded. "Have you tried teaching anyone?" he asked before he took another bite.
She seemed to mull over the question until she nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. "I had a subordinate once," she said. "She wanted to impress the boy she liked and asked me to teach her how to cook."
"Did she learn?"
She chuckled, her eyes shining at the memory. "She was never a great cook," she admitted. "She wasn't terrible, by any means. She just had a tendency to make little mistakes that made things taste off."
"Like what?" To Naruto's surprise, it was Sasuke who asked the question. Naruto wondered if it was the first time he'd heard the story, too.
"Things like adding a little too much salt or not enough," she said. "Or slightly overcooking the vegetables. It was not enough to make it inedible, just make it taste a little off."
"What happened with the boy she liked?" Naruto asked. "Did she impress him with her cooking?"
A hundred different emotions flitted across her face as she looked into Naruto's eyes. However, her face settled into amusement and she smiled at Naruto as she shook her head.
"Not exactly," she admitted. "She did get a little better, but never to a level beyond 'decent.'"
"So she didn't impress him?" Naruto asked. Perhaps he had been spending too much time with Yugito because he felt saddened about the idea of missing out on love.
"I wouldn't say that," Sasuke's mother said with a laugh. "It turns out it didn't matter how good or bad my friend was at cooking. She could have served that boy a lump of coal on a platter and he would have said it was the best thing he had ever tasted."
Naruto's eyes brightened and even Sasuke looked mildly amused by the story. "So they got together?" he asked, excited about a story of love.
Sasuke's mother nodded her head, covering her mouth slightly to hide her laugh. "They spent nearly every waking moment together after that," she said.
Naruto grinned at the end of the story before he continued his meal. When he finished, he thanked Sasuke and his mother profusely for inviting him to lunch. His mother offered the bathroom to let him clean up. Naruto shook his head, refusing the offer as politely as he could.
He already felt like he had intruded a lot. Besides, he didn't have any clean clothes to change into and borrowing Sasuke's clothes was just weird.
Naruto said goodbye, but not before promising to visit again the next day. The look on her face when he bowed his head in gratitude stayed with him for the rest of the day.
O-O-O-O-O
Sasuke took a bath soon after Naruto left. He soaked for a long time, feeling the hot water work on his sore muscles. He sighed in contentment. I missed Naruto.
When he got out, he changed into fresh clothes and combed his hair. Now clean, he looked around his room. His toys and books didn't appeal to him and he didn't want to get dirty again after a bath. His father and Itachi would not be back for hours more. To his dismay, once Naruto had left, the boredom had come back, stronger than before.
He sighed to himself in disappointment and annoyance. I guess I'll go talk to Mom.
He left his room, hair still damp, and headed toward the garden where his mother liked to wander. He found her quickly, her back turned to him as she sat on a bench.
"Mom?" he asked as he walked over to her side.
His mother flinched, keeping her face turned away from him. Sasuke frowned. Mom is acting weird.
"Mom?" he asked again, walking closer and taking her arm like he used to when he was younger.
She finally turned her face to look down at him. Sasuke startled in shock. His mother was crying, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at the garden. She smiled wanly when she saw that Sasuke had noticed.
"Oh, Sasuke, sorry you had to see me like this." She wiped her eyes with her hands.
"Mom? What's wrong?" he asked, having no idea what to do. He had never seen her cry before. What are you supposed to do when your Mom is crying, anyway?
She hummed, smiling as tears roll down her face and onto the grass. "Nothing is wrong," she answered. "It's just... I remembered something sad."
"Something sad?" Sasuke joined her, sitting at her side.
She pondered the question for a few seconds before answering. "Naruto-kun reminded me of a friend I used to have," she said. "She was very stubborn and excitable, but her heart was pure. Naruto-kun is like that."
"Pure heart?" Sasuke frowned. He wasn't sure if someone who had shoved Sasuke's face into the dirt could be considered "pure" in any way.
His mother chuckled, placing her hands onto her lap neatly. "She died a few years ago, soon after you were born," she continued. "I hadn't really thought about her in a while, so remembering her made me sad."
"Oh," Sasuke answered, fidgeting at the revelation. "Was your friend... the one you were talking about? The one who was not a very good cook?"
His mother hummed in affirmation. Sasuke's frown deepened. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the birds and insects flying through the garden. Sasuke scooted closer to her until their sides were touching. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and he leaned in for a hug.
"Sasuke," his mother began. He looked up to meet her eyes, dark and serious. "There's something that I want you to do."
"What is it?" Sasuke fidgeted, wondering what she wanted.
"I want you to make friends," she said. "Real friends."
"Friends?"
She nodded. "Sometimes... you lose friends, for whatever reason. Sometimes, they're not lost but they go far away. But... no matter what, I want you to have people you love and trust by your side."
Love? Sasuke wanted to protest, to insist that he didn't need anyone, but when he saw the conviction in her eyes, he nodded.
She grinned at him then, wide and melancholy. "Please, Sasuke," she said. "Sometimes our friends and even the memories of our friends will bring pain, but that's no reason not to have any. I don't want you to be alone."
"I-I promise, Mom," Sasuke said, not sure exactly what he was promising. He considered Naruto a nominal friend, even if he would never say it out loud. Is that enough?
Despite his words and her smile, an aura of sadness surrounded her. Before he had a moment to reconsider or doubt himself, he crawled into her lap. She startled in surprise at the contact, but she didn't push back. Instead, she opened her arms wide and Sasuke burrowed closer to be held.
He hadn't needed his mother to hold him in her lap for years now and he would have never done it in front of his brother or father. However, he knew that his mother liked it. A part of Sasuke liked the close contact too, although he would never admit it out loud to anyone. He suspected that his mother knew, anyway.
O-O-O-O-O
Fugaku took off his heavy armor with a relieved sigh. Hours of patrol were never kind on his increasingly weathered back. Being at home with his wife and children were all he needed after hours of work.
"How was your day?" Mikoto asked, dutiful as always as she helped him put the armor away.
Fugaku grunted. "Same old, same old," he answered. "The Hokage and his advisors are getting on my last nerve, but what else is new?" The last statement came out more poisonous than he had expected.
Mikoto sighed in sympathy, massaging between his shoulder blades. "What about you? How are the boys?" he asked. "Is Sasuke still complaining about having nothing to do?"
Mikoto hummed in contemplation before answering. "Sasuke saw me crying today," she confessed.
Fugaku spun around to look at his wife. "Sasuke? Crying? You... But, why?" he asked. His wife had never been the type to cry, especially anywhere where someone might see.
Mikoto ground her teeth, looking past him to stare at the wall. He waited for her to speak, watching as she gathered her thoughts.
"Naruto Uzumaki should have two parents," she finally said. Her eyes were cold and full of fury, just how he remembered from their days of active service.
"I know," Fugaku answered. "If... Minato-san..." he hadn't said his co-worker's name out loud in years and the name felt heavy on his tongue, "if... the fourth Hokage were still with us, everything would be better."
"Minato was only a co-worker to you," Mikoto said, voice bitter and angry. "Kushina was like a sister to me."
"A co-worker I liked," Fugaku said in his defense. The Fourth Hokage had been friendlier with the Uchiha clan than his predecessors. He had trained Fugaku's nephew with his own two hands and they had grieved together upon his death. I liked Minato-san. Kushina-san too, if only because she brought you so much joy.
"When they died, we should have taken Naruto in," Mikoto said.
Fugaku frowned. "You know we couldn't," he said. "The Hokage forbid it."
"We should have fought harder," Mikoto insisted, bitterness seeping into her voice.
"They already suspected us of having something to do with the Kyuubi attack," Fugaku said, hating the truth in his own words. "Taking in the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox would have only brought more suspicion to our clan."
"I know. I remember." Her eyes stared at the wall, full of malice. Fugaku flinched.
No one except for the late Fourth Hokage knew the full details of the attack. All anyone knew was that on the day Mikoto talked to Kushina for the last time, the Nine-Tailed Fox had attacked. As the last known person to see Kushina alive, Mikoto had been subjected to a full day of interrogation.
Fugaku grabbed her hand, trying to offer as much comfort as he could.
"What can we do about it?" Fugaku asked, knowing how bitter his voice sounded. "The Hokage expressly forbid us- forbid you from interacting with the boy."
"Fugaku, we've been married nearly twelve years," she said, her voice sounding determined despite her anger. "Do you think the Hokage's orders will stop me now that I have a chance to do something?"
O-O-O-O-O
"In short, everything is going well," Utakata said to the Mizukage, wishing he was sleeping at home instead of giving a progress report. "Kimimaro already has great endurance and taijutsu abilities. He only needs refinement with ninjutsu and genjutsu. His reading and writing abilities are also coming along."
Mei nodded, a kind smile on her lips. Behind her stood Ao, Ameryuri, and Zabuza, ever vigilant.
"So you are progressing quickly?" she asked, looking Kimimaro in the eye.
Kimimaro returned her gaze silently before looking up at Utakata for confirmation. Utakata raised an eyebrow. Of course you're doing well, Kimimaro.
"He's very smart," Utakata continued without looking away from his student. "He can already read katakana and hiragana and his progress learning kanji is also very fast."
"I can read twenty different kanji now," Kimimaro muttered, staring down at his feet shyly. It was the most childish thing he had heard the boy say so far.
"Oh! That's great, Kimimaro!" Mei said. The boy seemed to stand a little straighter. She turned her gaze up to Utakata.
"How much longer until you would consider him suitable for full active duty?" she asked.
Utakata shrugged. "Maybe two or three months?" he guessed. "Half a year more at the most."
Mei nodded again, looking relieved about something. "That's a good time frame for what I have in mind," she muttered.
"What do you have in mind, Mizukage-sama?" Utakata asked, feeling a strong sense of foreboding in his stomach.
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I just want to make sure that Kimimaro will be ready to join our active forces soon."
Utakata forced his face to remain neutral. This better have nothing to do with me.
"Will that be all, Mizukage-sama?" he asked. The faster they could finish the meeting the faster he could get back to his nap.
"Yes, that will be all," she said. "You are both dismissed."
Utakata and Kimimaro bowed their heads and departed from the office. Utakata left first, Kimimaro following closely behind at his heels. They walked in silence down the hall and toward the exit of the administration building.
"Kimimaro-kun?" a soft voice called out from behind them. Kimimaro froze in place.
A child walked toward them, long hair hanging loose down their back. They were wearing a pink yukata, the sleeves cut off. The child was smiling at Kimimaro, waving their hand back and forth as they approached him. Utakata couldn't tell if they were a girl or a boy.
"H-Haku-kun," Kimimaro greeted with a stutter, refusing to meet the other child's eyes. Utakata stared at his student with a frown. This is weird. Kimimaro is never so nervous about anything.
The second child, Haku, either didn't notice or didn't care about Kimimaro's behavior, because they stopped in front of him. They beamed at his student.
"I'm glad I got to see you, Kimimaro-kun," Haku said. "Zabuza-san told me you were coming over for a progress report."
"Y-yes," Kimimaro said, still avoiding the other child's gaze. "I'm here with my master, Utakata-sensei."
Haku looked up curiously at Utakata. Utakata quirked his lips up politely.
"It's very nice to meet you, Utakata-sensei," Haku said, bowing their head down.
"Likewise," Utakata said, returning the gesture with a nod of his head.
Haku smiled at him before looking back at Kimimaro, who seemed more nervous by the second. Utakata stared at his student in surprise. After one month of training Kimimaro, he had never seen him so emotional before.
"I haven't seen you since you got out of the hospital, Kimimaro-kun," Haku continued. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Kimimaro said, stepping slightly closer toward Utakata. Utakata was tempted to put a hand on the boy's shoulder to offer a sense of comfort.
"That's great!" Haku answered with a grin. "Do you think we could hang out for a bit? I haven't heard from you in a long time. I wanted to talk."
"I can't," Kimimaro answered. "Utakata-sensei and I are going back to training right now, aren't we?" He looked up at Utakata, beseeching him to agree with the lie
Utakata stared at his student. They had already completed their training and their only task for the rest of the day was to relax.
"Yes, we have some training to do," Utakata lied at once. Why is he lying? He must have a reason. Maybe this child is scarier than they look.
Haku's face fell and they flashed Kimimaro a defeated smile. "Well... if your sensei said... I'll see you later Kimimaro-kun."
"See you," Kimimaro said, already starting to walk away. Utakata followed along, curious about his attitude.
Once they left the administration building, Utakata led them down an empty alleyway. He turned on his student, staring down at him. His behavior with the other child was unexpected of him. He had almost seemed... afraid.
"Who was that?" Utakata asked.
"He's... Haku," Kimimaro answered, looking away from him. Strange, he always meets my eyes.
"Who's Haku?" Utakata asked. The name sounded familiar but he couldn't place it.
"He's..." Kimimaro swallows, still looking away. "He's the boy who captured me during the attack of my... of the Kaguya clan."
"Oh," Utakata grunted, crossing his arms inside his yukata.
With Kimimaro's statement, he remembered where he first heard that name. Zabuza had talked about a boy he was mentoring capturing Kimimaro. He remembered Ameyuri calling him a sweet boy. So Haku is a boy, and he studies with Zabuza-san. I guess that's a few questions answered.
"So you hate him because he captured you? If you want, you can go and punch him. I won't tell anyone."
Kimimaro shook his head, mortified. To Utakata's shock, his face was slightly pink in embarrassment. With his white hair, the slight flush of color stood out more. It was the first time he had seen embarrassment on the boy's face. He keeps surprising me.
"I don't... hate him," Kimimaro said. He started to fidget, his hands wrapping over each other nervously. "It's just... he's really nice."
"Nice?" Utakata raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that more reason to talk to him?"
Kimimaro's face got pinker and his hands fidgeted faster. "He said we have the same eyes," he said, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper.
"Same eyes?" Utakata had no idea what he was talking about.
Kimimaro nodded, embarrassed.
Utakata sighed, squatting down so he could meet his student's face. Kimimaro startled at the sudden approach.
"Do you like him?" Utakata asked, forcing Kimimaro to meet his eyes.
Kimimaro nodded, almost imperceptibly. "He used to bring me flowers and talk while I was in the hospital," he whispered. "I didn't really talk back to him. He told me we should stay in contact once I got out."
"But you didn't," Utakata said bluntly. He only needed to see the red sweeping across Kimimaro's face to know that he was exactly right.
He sighed again, shaking his head. Compared to dismantling the trauma of growing up a slave in the Kaguya compound, Kimimaro's current concerns were nothing. So he feels guilty for not talking to his friend for a month.
"Why didn't you want to talk to Haku now?" he asked.
"Because..." Kimimaro shifted his feet, looking down. "I thought he would be mad because I haven't talked to him in a month. I thought he talked to me only to be nice."
Utakata snorted and Kimimaro looked up. "Kimimaro, if he wanted to avoid talking to you, he wouldn't have been in the administration building."
Kimimaro frowned. "W-what do you mean, sensei?" he asked.
"He didn't bump into you," he explained, as if to a very young child. In some ways, Kimimaro was. "He looked for you just to talk. He probably wanted to spend time with you."
"Oh," Kimimaro answered, his eyes looking brighter as the realization set in. "So he wasn't mad that I didn't try to talk to him for a month?"
"Well... uh... I mean, he might have been a little mad," Utakata admitted. "But he seemed very happy when he saw you."
"Oh." Kimimaro looked down again. He stared thoughtfully at his toes in silence. Utakata swallowed. The boy had been deprived of his childhood more than anyone he had ever met, which was saying something considering the people he talked to in his head.
"Why don't you invite him over one day?" Utakata asked, standing up.
"Huh?" Kimimaro's eyes widened in shock at the suggestion.
"Invite him over to Harusame's estate," Utakata suggested. "You two can spend time together. Maybe you can make some friends."
"But... what about training?" Kimimaro asked.
"Kimimaro..." he placed a hand on his student's shoulder. "I rarely wake up before noon and I hate training after three in the afternoon. You are already so talented that I don't need to teach you how to do anything, anyway. I'm sure you can find some time to hang out with Haku in the meantime."
"I- really, sensei?" Kimimaro asked.
Utakata grunted and nodded. "Go find this Haku kid and invite him over," he ordered, trying to summon the tone of voice Harusame used when lecturing. It seemed to be only partially successful because Kimimaro's eyebrows contracted into a frown.
"But... don't I need to focus on training?" Kimimaro asked.
Utakata rolled his eyes with a snort. "You're focused enough as it is," he said. "Our training times are between noon and three in the afternoon. How you spend your time outside of our training sessions is none of my concern."
Kimimaro nodded, eyes looking fit to burst as Utakata's words finally began to set in. The boy grinned, the first time Utakata had seen him do so. It was sincere and wide and full of hope. It made Utakata's heart contract at the sight.
"Well, if you're sure, sensei," Kimimaro said.
"I'm sure," Utakata said, throat feeling strangely tight. "Now go find Haku and tell him to visit us. If not, I might change my mind and train you from dawn to dusk instead."
It was an empty threat. Kimimaro seemed to know it because his grin widened and he ran off back to the administration building, looking like the child he was. Utakata watched him go before he let out a deep breath and stared up at the sky. He counted from one to ten, keeping track of this breathing as he did so. Why did the Mizukage have to choose me for this task?
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: You may take away my "Kushina wasn't a good cook, Minato was just a lovestruck fool" headcanon from my cold dead hands. Also, I've been waiting to write the Mikoto and Naruto scene since chapter 1 and I finally got the chance.
You can talk to me on Tumblr at waffledogwrites.
Next chapter: dinner at the Uchiha's.